The Girl Who Spun Gold

Bibliographic Information: Hamilton, V. (2000). The Girl Who Spun Gold. Illus. Leo and Diane Dillon. New York, NY published: The Blue Sky Press.

Brief Annotation: An African version of Rumpelstiltskin, Quashiba was rumored by her mother to be able to spin golden thread. Impressed by her rumored skill, the King married her as his wife and then locked her up until she could spin golden thread for him. Desperate, Quashiba allowed a magical little man to help spin the gold for her, under one condition, that if she can't guess his name, he will make her small and take her to his land. After several wrong guesses, she miraculously comes across his name and is freed from the little man. Then the King finally lets her out and they lived happily ever after.

Genre: Culturally Diverse Folktale

Grade Level: K-5th

Readers who will like this: anyone who enjoys folktales

Response/Rating (1-4): 3, The illustrations were great but I lost interest half way through the story.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What other folktale does the title remind you of?

Too Many Tamales

Bibliographic Information: Soto, G. (1993) Too Many Tamales. Illus. Ed Martinez. New York: Putnam

Annotation: It is Christmas time and Maria is helping her mother make tamales. She can't resist when she sees her mother's diamond ring on the counter, she tries it on. Later when the family arrives she realizes the ring is missing. With the help of her cousins they eat all the tamales and still don't find the ring. Maria confesses to her mother and finds out she had the ring the entire time!

Genre: Picturebook

Grade Level: K-2

Readers who will like this book: Students who have ever been faced with telling the truth in difficult situations.

Response/Rating: I really enjoyed this story. It reminds me of my childhood and the adventures I had with my cousins. I think many students can relate to this story. 4

Classroom questions: Do you have family traditions during holidays? Have you ever lost anything that was very important to somebody?

Grandfather's Journey

Bibliographic Information: Say, A. (1993) Grandfather's Journey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin

Annotation: This is the story of Allen Say's grandfather. His grandfather traveled from Japan to the US when he was a child. Throughout his life he travels back and forth between the two places. When he is in Japan he misses California and when he is in California he misses Japan. When Allen gets older he travels to California and loves it as much as his granfather did.

Genre: Culturally Diverse

Grade Level: 3-12

Readers who will like this book: Students with strong connection to grandfather, students who have ever moved and become homesick

Response/Rating: After reading all I could think about what the song bird that he had. The watercolor illustrations really added to the story! 3

Classroom questions: Have you ever moved far away or know somebody who has?

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

Bibliographic Information: Goble, P. (1978). The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. Illus. Paul Goble. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Brief Annotation: A young girl takes care of her tribe's horses. One day a storm comes upon the herd, causing them to run. The herd, and the girl, discover a large herd of wild horses, where they remain. One day, the girl becomes a horse, to forever live among them.

Genre: Native American Fok Legend

Grade Level: K - 5

Readers who will like this book: Anyone who has ever loved something so much, they wanted to become it; and those who enjoy stories from other cultures.

Rating/Response: 4 out of 4. Goble retells a wonderful legend, using beautiful, vibrant illustrations that contain true, meaningful symbols and patterns of the culture.

One question I would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever loved something (other than another person) so much that you wished you could become that thing?

The Game of Silence

Bibliographic Information: Erdrich, L. (2005). The Game of Silence. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books.

Brief Annotation: In this sequel to The Birchbark House, Omakayas and her family receive visitors who have been forced from their land. Through the year, she will struggle with her own emotions, and learn that she must leave her beloved home, an island in Lake Superior.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 5 - 8

Readers who will like this book: Readers who have previously read The Birchbark House, and those who enjoy glimpses into other cultures.

Rating/Response: 4 out of 4. I have long been a reader of Louise Erdrich's novels. In this novel for young readers, she has not forfeited any of her ability to compose prose in a poetic and lyrical manner. It is a heart-wrenching story, with fictional characters, yet based on true information. I love her use of Objiwe words, and the inclusion of a dictionary of these words at the end of the book.

One question I would ask before a read aloud: What would it be like to have to leave your home and move somewhere unknown? Would you be able to live off the world around you, without supermarkets, television, or computers?

10/40: Quickwrites from 50 Literacy Strategies, by Gail E. Tompkins
As my class, or small group, moves through the chapters of this book, I would provide them with prompts related to the book. I would ask them to spend 5 - 10 minutes writing their ideas, then have them share these ideas. I believe this would allow my students to consider some to the big concepts contained in this book, such as westward expansion, white settlers invasion of tribal lands, and conflict between European settlers and native peoples.

The Birchbark House

Bibliographic Information (APA): Erdrich, L. (2002). The Birchbark House. New York, NY: Hyperion.

Brief Annotation: This is a great novel about a little girl Omakayas that is an Ojibwa Native American living on Lake superior. She talks about her family and goes through the four seasons and they things they have to do to live.

Genre: Historical Fiction Novel

Grade Level: 4 and up

Readers who will like this: Children that enjoy novels about Native Americans. Children that enjoy a girl main character. Children that enjoy learning about history and the way people used to live.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; I love this book. This book is wonderful because it is from the perspective of the little girl. It is also set in Minnesota so kids will be able to relate if they have ever traveled to Lake Superior. Omakayas tells of gathering the harvest and building the home. It is a totally different experience than most children have with literature. Many of the classrooms I am in I notice a lot of science fiction and fantasy novels.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you think it would be like living near Lake Superior in the late 1800s?

Too Many Tamales

Soto, G. (1993). Too Many Tamales. Illus. Ed Martinez. New York, New York: Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Annotation: This is a book about a Mexican family preparing a Mexican dish of Tamales before Christmas. The little girl in this book tries on her mother's diamond ring and loses it. She thinks it fell into one of the tamales, but luckily she realizes that her mother is wearing it.

Genre: Culturally Diverse Picture Book

Grade Level: PreK-2nd

Readers who would like this: This is a good book for a teacher to have to in order to introduce how every culture has a different way of celebrating holidays. They could do a Venn comparing and contrast this culture and the traditional Christmas meal.

Ratings/Response: I give this book a 4. I think this book is relate able to many kids. Some point in our life we have felt the same rush and wondered how we were going to dig our way out of a certain situation.

Question: How do you celebrate Christmas?

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears

Bibliographic Information (APA): Aardema, Verna. (1975). Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears. Illus. Illustrator Leo and Diane Dillon. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Brief Annotation: This is a west African folk tale that describes why Mosquitos buzz in people's ears. It's a cute story that goes through all the animals of the jungle.

Genre: PictureBook, Folktale

Grade Level: K-3rd

Readers who will like this: Children that enjoy folktales or have ever wondered why mosquitos buzz in peoples ears.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3; I really like this book and it could be so great to use in a Folktale unit to bring in diversity. This book is a great book to use for cause and effect also. It begins with a mosquito talking to an iguana and telling him a story. After that a series of events eventually causes a baby owl to die.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you know what a folktale is?

The Sons of the Dragon King

Bibliographic Information: Young, E. (2004). The Sons of the Dragon King. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Brief Annotation: The watchful Dragon King sets out to make sure his nine immortal sons are making something of themselves. On his visit to each son he realizes their individual talents and finds a position for each one of them.

Genre: Animal Fantasy-Legend

Grade Level: 2nd-5th

Readers who will like this: Children who enjoys legends

Response/Rating (1-4): 3; This was a very well written book with very limited illustrations. Even though the illustrations were simple, the words to the story had the ability to paint the rest of the image for the reader.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: If you could have some sort of power to do good with, what kind of power would you have and what would you do with it?

The Princess and the Pea

Isadora, R. (2009). The Princess and the Pea. Illus. Rachel Isadora. New York, New York: Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Annotation: This is an African version of the original Princess and the Pea. An African prince tries to find a bride, but he has a hard time finding a bride that is a true princess and claim to be who they are. On a stormy night a princess shows up at the palace and claims she is a princess. The prince's mother tests this by putting a pea under her bed and says a true princess should be sensitive enough to feel it. She does and they get married.

Genre: Culturally diverse children's book

Grade Level: PreK-2nd

Readers who would like this: This is would be a cute book for a teacher to have in their classroom library. It is a fun little fairy tale for little girls alike.

Rating/Response: I give this book a 4. I think the illustrations are amazing and I also like how this is a spin on the original princess and the pea. It is a staple book that many should have.

Question: Have you ever dreamed of marrying a prince or a princess?

Reading Strategy:
a) Tompkins #4 (author's chair)
b) This strategy is when students get the opportunity to sit in writing chair to share what they have wrote for their writing assignment. They can get feedback from students and they have the privilege to sit in the infamous chair!
c) This would be a good reading strategy for this book, because the students could make their own version of princess and the pea and write a little story about it and then share it with the class once they have begun writing it. This gives the students the opportunity to be creative and put their own spin on the story.

What a Family!

Isadora, R. (2006). What a Family! Illus. Rachel Isadora. Portland, Oregon: Putnam Juvenile.

Annotation: This is a children's picture book that goes through a young boy's family tree and he can see how people were alike and different and where he got some of his traits.

Genre: Culturally diverse picture book

Grade Level: K-3rd

Readers who would like this: This would be a cute book to do a project in school or even for a little kid to read with their parents.

Response/Rating: I give this book a 4. I think the illustrations were cute and the idea of the book was really neat. A lot of grown-ups like to do family trees and now there is a book that is simple for little kids to understand what a family tree is.

Question: Do you know why your hair is the color it is?

Reading Strategy:
a) Thompkins #40
b) This strategy is a visual activity where students think more deeply about the elements of the story and moves beyond literal comprehension.
c) This matches well with this book, because students can construct their own family tree and they can see where they came from or they can guess what their family tree would look like based on Ollie's family tree in the book.

So Far From The Sea

Bibliographic Information: Bunting, E. (2009). So far from the sea. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Annotation: A young girl visits the grave of her grandfather which was also the site of an internment camp in WWII and says her final goodbye.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: K-3

Readers Who Will Like This Book: Readers who have experienced prejudice or find historical based stories interesting.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a 4. Eve Bunting addresses the topic of WWII internment camps in the United States and puts it into a perspective in which young children can comprehend.

Prereading Question: Should people be judged how they look or where they come from? Why?

Mr. Lincoln's Way

Bibliographic Information: Polacco, P. (2001). Mr. Lincoln's Way. New York, New York: Philomel Books.

Annotation: A caring and charismatic principle reaches out to a bully and discovers why the boy behaves the way he does.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level: P

Readers Who Will Like This Book: Readers who enjoy inspiring stories.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a 3. Patricia Polacco addresses both the concepts of bullying and prejudice and includes a child's dilemma of having positive personal experiences with people of color but has a parent who perpetuates the prejudice.

Prereading Question: How should you treat someone who is different than you?

The Girl Who Spun Gold

Bibliographic Information: Hamilton, V. (2000). The Girl Who Spun Gold. Illus. Leo and Diane Dillon. New York, NY. The Blue Sky Press.

Brief Annotation: Quashiba must guess a little man's name, before he turns her into a tiny little woman.

Genre: Folktale

Grade Level: 2 - 6

Readers who will like this book: Anyone who loves folktales, and especially the folktale Rumpelstiltskin.

Rating/Response: 4 out of 4. This is an excellent version of the familiar folktale. The language is dynamic and interesting, and the illustrations are wonderful.

One question I would ask before a read aloud: Do the folktales we already know have different versions from other cultures?

10/40: An adaptation of Hot Seat, from 50 Literacy Strategies, by Gail E. Tompkins.

Choose one student to
take on a persona of one of the characters from this story, and another student
to take on the persona of the equivalent character from the more familiar
version.
Provide each student
some time to review premade cards, listing the basic information given about
the characters from the tales.
Have the two students
sit on “hot seats” in front of the class. Allow the other students to ask
questions of the characters, or make comments about the characters.
Finish by having the
students summarize the differences and similarities of the two characters.

Faraway Home

Bibliographic Info: Kurtz, J. (2000). Faraway Home. Illus. E. B. Lewis. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Annotation: This book tells the story of a father explaining to his American born daughter about his life growing up in Ethipoia. He learns his mother is sick and travels back to Ethipoia as his daughter wonders where he truly belongs. Desta, his daughter, worries that Ethipoia is too dangerous and that he will never return.

Genre: African American fiction/Family

Grade Level: 1-3

Readers who will like this book: Children who are curious about other countries, cultures, or places. Children who are not native to America may enjoy it and feel comfort while reading.

Personal response: I love this book. It is beautifully written and the illustrations are stunning, they set the mood for each page. It captures the love and fear of a child for her father perfectly. I would definitely rate this as a 4 and I plan to add it to my collection.

A question you might ask before reading: Have you ever been somewhere long enough to miss "home"?

Reading strategies connection:
a). Character Perspective Chart
b). Allow students to map out a story while interpreting it in different ways. Students are guided to look at the story from more than one of the characters viewpoints.
c). This reading strategy would be beneficial because it helps the children see both the father's view of the events and the daughters. It allows them to critically think in both characters shoes creating a different feel to the book. Having the students create a character perspective chart will encourage them to really pick apart the book and form their own opinions on feelings, ideas and so on.

Swahili Counting Book

Bibliographic Information: Feelings, M. (1971). Moja means one: Swahili counting book. New York, New York: Puffin Books.

Annotation: A counting book, in both Swahili and English, with illustrations of commonalities between the two cultures.

Genre: Concept Book

Grade Level: Pre-k to 3

Readers Who Will Like This Book: African American children, those who are learning to count, like to learn new words or learn about different cultures.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a 4. The illustrations provide a window into a far and distant culture unknown to many children as well as providing familiar situations, such as a mother and her child.

Prereading Question: What do you know about Africa?

Jouanah A Hmong Cinderella

Bibliographic Information; Cobourn, J. R, & Lee, T. C. (1996). Jouanah A Hmong Cinderella. Illus. Anne Sibley O'Brien. Arcadia, CA: Shen's Books.

Brief Annotation: A Hmong version of Cinderella, Jouanah is left as an orphan. Despite her stepmother's evil scheming ways, she still manages to attend the New Year festivities with the help from her deceased mother's spirit. She meets the town elder's wealthy son who turns her sad life into a new beginning.

Genre: Culturally Diverse Folktale

Grade Level: k-5

Readers who will like this: Anyone who enjoys a happy ending; good over evil!

Response/Rating (1-4): 4, This was a very well written book! All the descriptive details enabled me to imagine every scene as if I were the main character.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: How many of you have heard the story of Cinderella?

Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale

Bibliographic Info: Gerson, M. (1995). Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale. Illus. Carla Golembe. London, UK: Little, Brown Books.

Annotation: This a a beautifully told tale about human greed and what happens when we take more than we need. The sky was once so close to Earth that we were able to cut slices from it to feed the hungary, but onve people began to take more than their fair share, the sky moved beyond our reach.

Genre: African Folktale/Fiction

Grade Level: K-2

Readers who will like this book: Children studying folktales and human morals. A great tool to integrate cultural diversity among folktales.

Personal Response: I really enjoyed the message in this book. The illustrations are so simplistic but help tell a great story. It is a powerful story that can show kids just how much greed can change their world (even if its a folktale). I love this book and rate it at 4.

A question you would ask before reading: What is greed?

The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee's Story

Bibliographic Information: Shea, P.D. (1996). The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee's Story. Illus. Anita Riggio. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Annotation: Based in a Thai refugee camp, this is a story of a young Hmong girl and the making of her very own pa'ndau (a traditional cloth which tells a story). The story entails heartbreaking memories of the girls past as she develops her pa'ndau. The "illustrations" in this book are amazing.

Genre: Genre fiction

Grade level: K-2

Readers who will like this book: Children that are visual learners and those who are learning about different cultures and their diversity.

Personal response: The thing I like most about this book were the illustrations and how Riggio used detailed pictures of the needlepoint work used in making authentic pa'ndaus. It is a good book to show children the great differences in other cultures.

A question you would ask before reading: Has anyone ever written a book about their past experiences in childhood?

Reading Strategies Connection:
a.) Preview-Predict-Confirm
b.) Students preview a book (a picture walk), make predictions about the content and finally confirm, after reading, if those predictions were correct or not. The children are able to predict words, ideas, etc... Then the students come together and share their predictions. You can also have the students predict feelings, emotions, actions, importance, and so on after the book.
c.) This activity would help students focus on the cultural diversity of the book and find similarities and differences between their culture and the refugee girls. It also explores a child's prior knowledge of the Hmong culture and past events. Having students confirm their predictions allows the teacher to give the children correct information about the book and the Hmong culture.

Global Babies

Bibliographic Information: Global Fund for Children (2007) Global Babies Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge

Annotation: This is a short picture book that shows pictures of babies from around the world. It shows that no matter where the babies come from, they are all beautiful.

Genre: Picturebook (Culturally Diverse, Boardbook)

Grade Level: K-2

Readers who will like this book: Young children will enjoy the pictures and colors.

Response/Rating: The book conveys a meaningful message of beauty despite differences. I enjoyed the simplicity and think this is a great book to teach about diversity at early ages. 4

Classroom Questions: Have you seen your baby pictures? Do we look the same as we did then?